Mimi's Boyfriend, Angel
by PandaFire McMango
Summary: Mimi's lied to her mother about something, and now her mom's coming for a visit! Can the Bohemianians outwit her? rated T for swearing, CollinsAngel, MimiRoger, the works. ALL DONE NOW! thanks to everyone who stuck with me! Very AU.
1. I'm So Dead

"Mail call!" Mimi said, coming through the door of the loft. Collins, Angel, and Roger were already inside, sitting around doing nothing in particular. Roger had his guitar on his lap like a security blanket, and Collins and Angel were sitting on the couch, Angel in Collins's lap. Mimi plopped herself down on the armrest of the big, squashy chair that Roger was sitting in, leafing through about five or six different letters.

"What'd you get this time, another misdirected letter from Iowa?" Angel asked, leaning forward to take a look at the mail in Mimi's hand. Mimi snickered and shook her head.

"Magazine subscription, magazine subscription, bill for something or other," she crumpled the bill without opening it and dropped it casually on the floor, "raffle tickets, a tempting offer to get my back shaved," the others laughed, "and this." The last envelope was square instead of oblong, with a handwritten address and light stains of something. Mimi glanced at the address, then looked back as her eyes narrowed with recollection. Angel, still leaning forward, caught a glimpse of the address.

"Hey chica, I know that address from somewhere…hmm…wait, I remember! That's your old house!" Angel exclaimed just as Mimi stuffed the letter into her pocket.

"Hey, read it!" Roger said, snagging the tip of the letter and drawing it out of her pocket. Mimi grabbed for it, but Roger moved it out of her reach, digging his fingertips under the seal.

"Roger!"

"Rog, you can't do that, it's Mimi's," said Collins, rolling his eyes and snatching the letter from Roger. He offered it to Mimi and she took it, glaring at Roger.

"C'mon, _chica,_ just open the damn thing. Maybe someone died and you're getting money." Mimi sighed, but heeded Angel, opening the seal and drawing the badly folded paper out. Straightening it, she started to scan the cramped, rough handwriting. At first her expression was one of scorn, and she was already planning to throw the letter away after a couple sentences. But as Mimi read, her eyes got huge and her mouth dropped open.

"Mimi, everything ok? What's up?" Roger asked, but she ignored him. Horror flitted across her face, and then she crumpled the letter, throwing it to the floor and burying her hands in her face. Alarmed, Angel touched her shoulder.

"Girl, what did that thing say?"

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit shit shit shit shit!" Mimi stood up suddenly and started pacing back and forth, her face buried in her palms. Angel, Collins, and Roger watched her, concerned.

"Mimi, what's wrong? Sit down and tell us, girl, it can't be that bad." Roger got up and took Mimi's arm, bringing her to the chair she had just left. She rocked back and forth, muttering "oh shit" under her breath.

"Honey, calm down. You're okay, it's—"

"No Angel, I'm not okay, oh fuck, I am in _so_ much trouble." Mimi started slamming her hand into her forehead, saying in time with the smacking, "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" Roger jumped up and grabbed her hand, keeping her from smacking herself again. Mimi was breathing hard now, and her eyes looked wild.

"Mimi, for god's sake, tell us what's wrong!" Collins said, eyeing her like she was a lunatic. Mimi looked at him, then took a deep breath and, in a voice like she was watching the Apocalypse, said, "My mother's coming to visit."

Silence. Then Angel said tentatively, "Honey, your mom's not that bad. She let you stay after you came to New York, and as far as I remember, she was really nice. Why are you stressed?"

"Oh god, Angel, you don't know my mom. I mean, you don't _know_ my mom. She's…she can make you do stuff." Mimi knew she sounded stupid, and her friends were looking at her like they were considering finding a straight jacket. Mimi took a deep breath and tried to explain.

"My mom has this thing…if she's not happy with something, she can become Satan on earth until she thinks it's good. And if she comes here and finds out that things aren't what she thinks they are, I swear to god she'll make me go back home. She'll _make_ me!"

"But why, Mimi? Does she even know what you've been living like for the last four years? Cause if I were her, I'd have come and gotten you ages ago."

"No, Collins, see…okay, the truth is, I've been writing letters to my mom every six months ever since I moved here. You know, just let her know everything was okay. And, well…I might have lied a little in the letters." Angel raised an eyebrow.

"A little being what?"

"Fine, a lot. But not about most stuff. I told her I was a dancer and all that, and that I lived in a loft, but…" Mimi trailed off, looking anywhere but Angel. Roger and Collins were sharing looks now that said 'here-comes-another-episode-in-the-life-of-Mimi'. And considering Mimi's life so far, this looked like it would be, shall we say, a little wilder than a walk in the park.

"Mimi, what the hell have you been telling your mother that's so bad?" Angel asked. Mimi took a breath and, bracing herself for the certain reaction, mumbled something.

"What? Speak up, girl."

"Tht yr mybrigfd."

"_Huh?_"

"That you're my boyfriend, ok?" Mimi said, burying her face in her hands.

Silence for about three seconds.

"_WHAT THE HELL, MIMI!_" Angel looked like she was seriously wanted to drop-kick Mimi out the window. Mimi cowered under the raging glare. Collins and Roger, meanwhile, were looking from Mimi to Angel to each other and back to Mimi with stunned faces. Understandably.

"I'm sorry, ok? But it was all I could think of when she wrote to me the first time, and I couldn't tell her something else after that…" Mimi shrank away from Angel, half-afraid for her life. Angel's glare could have made a bull rhino, a game hunter, and politician fall to their knees and beg for mercy.

"Mimi Marquez, you better tell me why you told your mother that. Start talking. Now."

"Ok, ok, ok." And Mimi started talking. Then .


	2. Please?

**Here's another chapter, hot off the press! wow, i'm goign fast!enjoy!**

"Well, see there was this…uh…you remember when we were coming home that day after school and my mom wanted to meet Alex?"

"You mean the loser you dated for about three weeks, or the loser you dated for two months?"

" Angel, don't get touchy—"

"Touchy! I have a freaking right to be freaking touchy! I—"

"Calm down, Angel, lemme talk. Anyway, he was the three week guy, and my mom wanted to know him. But Alex was such a spineless little jerk around adults that I didn't want to risk him letting something slip in front of my mama."

"Like what you guys did practically ever night behind the school gym, maybe?"

" Angel!"

"Mimi, if you want to get out of this mess alive, you're going to have to have some way of letting me work off the incredible anger I'm feeling right now. Ok? Ok."

"Fine," Mimi grumbled, leaning back. Collins and Roger were sitting next to each other on the couch, looking back and forth between Angel and Mimi like they were watching a tennis match. Angel, arms crossed angrily, was seated on the metal table, while Mimi still sat in the big squashy chair.

"So you remember what happened right? When I told you I couldn't let Alex meet my mom?"

"No, because from the way you're making it sound, I think I blanked the whole thing from my memory."

" Jesus, Angel. Ok, it was like this…"

_"C'mon, girl, do this for me. Please?" Mimi pouted and clung to Angel's arm, trying to look as pathetic and needy as possible. Angel shrugged her off. _

_" Mimi, I am not pretending to be your boyfriend just so that your real boyfriend won't tell your mom what you've been buying with that waitressing money!" _

_"Aaaaaaangeeeeeeel, you gotta do it! Alex can't stand up to Momma, you know he can't! If you do it, I'll make it worth your while!" Now Angel stopped trying to get away from Mimi and looked at her. _

_"Keep going." _

_"Well," said Mimi, sensing she had her hook into Angel now. "You know that really cute skirt you've been lusting after for more than a month? And the shoes that match?" _

_"Yeeess…" _

_"Well, I might just put a little of that waitressing money into getting you said skirt and shoes if you do this for me. C'mon, you know you want them." Angel squirmed. That skirt was just so cute… _

_"Mimi, I hate pretending to be straight, you know that." _

_"It's only for once, Ang. And I promise I'll never ask you to do it again." _

_"Never?" _

_"Never, I swear." _

_"Well…ok." _

_"Yay! I love you, I love you, I LOVE you! Thanks sooooo much, you have no idea—" _

_"Oh, let's just go and get it over with," grumbled Angel. Mimi giggled and started dragging Angel towards her street, very glad that for once Angel had decided to skip the drag and wear jeans…_

"And the rest is history."

"Wait, you mean I _agreed_ to this? How come I don't remember? And how come I never got that skirt?" Mimi shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe you did block it from your memory. And the skirt was gone when I went to get it, I swear…Anyway, Mama loved you and all, and you did a pretty god acting job, by the way." Mimi smiled, but it disappeared as Angel's dirty look cut through it like a butcher knife.

"Mimi, why the hell would one insane favor I did you when we were fifteen have anything to do with the fact that your mother thinks I'm dating you?"

"Well…ok, see when we went to New York, I phoned her to let her know we were ok, and she got all hysterical and asked why I'd done it, and I don't know, the first thing that popped into my head was _blame it on a boyfriend_. And since she still thought you were my boyfriend…"

"Mimi Marquez, you told your mother that you ran off to fucking New York because _I _made you?"

"No, not exactly, more like we decided it together! And anyway, she's been cool with it for a long time. I guess it was one less mouth to feed, and to be honest, she trust you. This whole letter thing was her way of checking on me, and I didn't want to worry her, so I just kept the thing up."

"Well, that's fine for letters, but now she's coming! Mimi, she's gonna know you lied. And if what you say is true, she's gonna drag you back home." Mimi sighed and stood, beginning to pace. Roger and Collins, caught up in the whole mess, watched her. Angel just glared.

"Yeah, see that's the thing. If she sees that we're not dating and I have this whole other life, she'll make me go home. _But…_" Mimi turned to look at Angel with the largest puppy-dog eyes in the world. "If a certain wonderful, saintly friend of mine would _pretend_ to be my boyfriend for just the day that she's here, I'm sure she would go and leave me alone forever. Sounds good, right?" Mimi tried to smile again, but the flames shooting out of Angel's ears made it hard.

"Marquez, are you suggesting, are you even thinking that for one second you can convince me to pretend to be your boyfriend so that your dear old mother won't boot you back home? Is that what you're thinking? Because if so, stop. Just don't. Girl, there is no way in heaven, hell or any other freaking place that you can make me do this."

"Angeeeeeel, please! I don't want to go home, and her letter says she's only staying for a day! Just a day!"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! You promised me I wouldn't have to do it again, Mimi! No!"

"Angel, c'mon!"

"No!" Angel was standing now, hands defiantly on hips, looking at Mimi like she was some kind of evil rodent. Collins looked back and forth between them, then leaned over and whispered to Roger, "Call the girls. I'm going to get Mark. Something tells me we're going to need reinforcements." Roger nodded and moved toward the phone while Collins edged towards the door, unnoticed by the arguing woman and drag queen. As Collins slipped out onto the stairs, Roger quietly dialed a number.

"Hello, Maureen speaking!" chirped a voice.

"Maureen? It's Roger."

"Roger, baby! What can I do you for?"

"Listen, Maureen, I think you and Joanne better get over here now."

"Huh? Why? Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, sorta…the thing is, I think we're gonna need your help with turning Angel into Mimi's boyfriend."

Silence. Then:

"This is a prank call, isn't it?"

"No, Mo, I swear it's not. Just…just get down here, and fast. Trust me, we need all the time we can get."


	3. A Lot Of Work

"Pookie, hurry up…Roger, what's going on?" Maureen demanded as she opened the door to the loft, Joanne following behind her.

The scene before her was a strange one. Angel, hands on hips and legs planted firmly, was standing in the middle of the room, glaring at Mimi, who looked like she was about to cry. Roger was sitting on the metal table, and Collins had the couch. Mark was huddled in one corner, looking like the shouting going on between Angel and Mimi was scaring him.

"Mimi, I swear to god, I will not give in to you this time. I was promised I'd never have to do it, and I never will. Case closed."

"But _Angel_, my mother will make me go home! I don't want to go home! Please, just for a day!"

"No! No, Mimi, I won't do it! There has to be another way to do this! For god's sake, she's your mother, girl, you shouldn't be this scared of her!"

"Angel, I'm begging you. What, you want me to get on the ground and plead? Roll over? Fetch a ball?"

"How about play dead?"

"Angel!"

"I'm sorry, Mimi, but I'm really pissed off about this whole thing! You lied to your mother for four years, and now when it's all about to fall through, you go the easy way out for you, which is the worst way out for me! I've done twenty million things for you, girl, and I'd do a million more, but not this! Not this!"

"What the hell is going on?" whispered Maureen as she plopped down next to Collins, having edged around the two fighting the middle of the room. Joanne sat next to Roger, crossing her legs and watching Mimi and Angel curiously.

"Man, you will not _believe _this." Collins quickly filled Maureen and Joanne in on the situation. By the end of his telling, Joanne looked some where between amused and confused, while Maureen was struggling not to laugh out loud.

"So Mimi's trying to convince Angel to pretend to be her boyfriend, just so that her mother won't drag her home?"

"I know, but apparently, Mimi's mother is magic or something. Basically, if she says come home, Mimi will go with her tail between her legs. Get it?"

"Looks like Mimi's losing the fight, though," mused Joanne as Angel shook her head firmly. Roger shrugged and leaned forward, propping himself up on his palm.

"Hey, you guys, I've been keeping count. So far, Mimi has asked Angel to do this twenty-four times, and Angel's said no, fifty-six times." Mark, who had come over to join them, squinted at his paper. "Wow. Angel _really_ doesn't wan to do this, does she?"

"Ya think?" said Collins, rolling his eyes. Mark settled himself on the table beside Joanne, watching as Mimi and Angel argued.

"Ok, Angel, fine! I give in!" Mimi said after six more minutes of nonstop begging. Throwing up her hands, she glared at the drag queen. "I won't make you do it. But just remember; if my mother takes me home—which she will, Angel, even if I stood up to her—then I'm not coming back. I'm gone forever, and that's the last you'll hear of me. Are you willing to risk that? Are you willing to risk losing me?" Mimi sounded like a cross between a lunatic and soap-opera character as she said this, but it was the perfect thing to say. Angel was looking at her with a strange look on her face.

"Mimi, your mother can't just take you…"

"Yes, Angel, she can. But you don't care, do you? You care more about one tiny freaking day than letting me stay here in New York, with you, with Roger, with everyone. You don't care about me." Mimi looked forlorn, her eyes huge and her lips quivering. Angel completely knew this was a trap, but she couldn't help it. That's just the kind of person Angel was.

"Mimi, that's not true."

"Is it? Prove to me that it's not true, Angel, by going through a little discomfort for a single day just so that I can stay here forever. Please, Angel. I don't think it's too much to ask." Mimi had Angel caught now, like a rabbit in headlights. Angel squirmed, flinched, looked away. But she was well and truly hooked, and she knew it. Everyone leaned forward, eager to watch her break.

"…Fine. Fine, fine fine! I'll do it." Angel looked horrified with herself as soon as the words had come out of her mouth. But Mimi squealed and jumped into the air, throwing her arms around Angel's neck.

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou! Thank you so much, Angel! I love you, thank you so much!"

"Oh god, just kill me," grumbled Angel, wriggling out of Mimi's grasp and sitting down on the big chair, head in her hands.

"Well, Angel, it looks like from tomorrow morning till tomorrow night, you are going to be our little Mimi's boyfriend," said Maureen, smiling as she walked towards Angel. Angel only moaned. The others clustered around her, shaking their heads and struggling not to burst into laughter. Mimi was grinning like a Halloween pumpkin, and already she was taking charge of the whole thing.

"Okay now, we're gonna need to start soon and move fast, because my mother is coming tomorrow. Joanne, I want you to draw up a list of clothes for Collins, mark, and Roger to get together. We'll experiment with them for Angel later."

"Experiment what?" asked Angel in an alarmed voice, but Mimi ignored her.

"Collins, Mark, and Roger, work with Joanne on that list. Maureen, I'm going to need to you down with me in my apartment. Joanne, join us when you've finished the list." Eyes sparkling, Mimi turned to look at Angel, who was staring at hr with a mixture of contempt, fear, and apprehension.

"We've got a lot of work to do."


	4. Work Period

**I am so happy with all the reviews this is getting! Thank you everyone, and i promise that you won't be disapointed with the coming chapters! meanwhile, read and enjoy.**

**-Essie (Panda)**

"Mimi, I don't see what the big deal is. I wear some of my drumming clothes, take off my makeup, and I'm done. There's no reason to have some stupid—"

"Angel," said Maureen, putting her hands on her hips. "This is not some little acting job with a bed sheet toga or a cardboard tree. This is an elaborate hoax, and the costumes must be perfect. Perfect!"

"Besides, I might have…exaggerated a little about you in my letters." Mimi blushed and shrugged. Angel glared at her. The three of them were down in Mimi's apartment, getting Angel ready before Joanne came down with the required clothes. Angel was, as is obvious, giving them a hard time.

"So what? I don't think that—"

"Shut it! No questions, comments, or inferences until the end of the work period."

"And how long might that be, Maureen?"

"Hmm…three and a half hours, give or take thirty minutes."

"You're kidding me."

"Nope. Now shut your trap and let us make you beautiful!" Maureen pushed Angel backwards with one hand. The drag queen yelped and fell back into the padded chair Mimi had supplied. Maureen grabbed the armrests of the chair and spun it to face Mimi's old vanity. Angel hardly had time to make one feeble attempt at escape before Maureen and Mimi attacked her.

Their weapons? Nail scissors, nail polish remover, wet cloths, tweezers, and a mysterious little bottle of liquid.

Their purpose? Completely remove all traces of femininity from Angel's face and hands.

By the time they had plucked and wiped and clipped and dabbed enough to reach their goal, a whole hour had ticked by. Maureen and Mimi, weary yet proud, flopped on Mimi's bed, surveying their handiwork.

"I think we did it, Mo. I really do."

"Honey, we rock. Plain and simple."

"I feel ridiculous," Angel grumbled, touching her face gingerly. "Where's a mirror when you need one?"

"Behind you, hon." Mimi stretched and fluffed her hair. Angel turned around and stared at herself in the mirror. Her jaw slowly dropped open, and her eyes grew wide.

"Oh dear god." Angel's face was subtly but strangely changed. Her pointy, graceful eyebrows were now square and stubby, with a couple stray hairs. All makeup she used was gone, and in fact somehow they had made her skin look more…weathered. The very slight shadow of hair around Angel's jaw that had been almost nonexistent before was now very evident, darkened with the contents of the weird little bottle.

Angel's hand flew to her mouth. Then she saw her hand in the mirror and stared at it.

The nails that Angel had painted so carefully before were devoid of polish, and some of them were uneven, clipped hastily and clumsily. The light colored, nearly invisible hairs on the back of her hand had also been dyed darker. They looked…scary.

"You've destroyed me," said Angel quietly, staring into the mirror.

"Honey, we _created_ you. A new you. And a you that will be perfect for Mimi's mom."

"Oh god…oh my god." Angel might have stared at the mirror for several more minutes if Joanne hadn't bustled in, nearly collapsing under a mountain of clothes.

"Pookie, you came through!" squealed Maureen, grabbing some of the clothes from Joanne and dumping them onto the bed. Mimi looked admiringly at the huge pile. Joanne sighed and dumped the rest. They nearly flowed off the bed, there were so many.

"Yep. You wouldn't _believe_ how stubborn those guys were being. I had to practically whip them to get them to give me this stuff. But Honeybear…I have to agree with them on one thing."

"What, Pookie?"

"They said it was probably the most sick and twisted thing that has ever been suggested by a biological creature."

"What was?"

"You asking on the list for me to make them give us their underwear."

"Shit, Maureen, are you serious?" Mimi asked, staring at her friend. Angel, who was listening to the conversation, buried her face in her hands and let out a strangled grunt of horror and aggravation. Then she started hitting her head against the top of the vanity, muttering various profanities under her breath.

"What's wrong with it? I wanted to be completely realistic." Maureen looked confused. Mimi shook her head in disbelief, and Joanne rolled her eyes.

"Never mind, honey. Let's just get started with these, okay?"

"Sure! Hmm, let's see…here, this could work!" Maureen reached down and picked up a piece of clothing, holding it out in front of her. "Angel, come try this on."

"What?" Angel stopped banging her head and looked up. Then a look of both fear and determination came onto her face.

"Maureen, there is no way in hell you can make me wear that." Maureen got up from the bed and advanced on Angel, waving the garment back and forth.

"MAUREEN, YOU CAN'T MAKE ME WEAR THAT!"

* * *

Up in the loft, Collins, Mark, and Roger all jumped as the bellowing shout sounded from downstairs. It was followed by several thumps and then one extremely loud swear word.

"What the hell are they doing down there? Tying Angel to a chair and hitting him with a baseball bat?" Mark said, raising his eyebrows. Roger snickered and Collins rolled his eyes.

"Mark, you know Angel. Do you honestly think that she's gonna go peacefully about this whole thing?"

"About as peacefully as a bull elephant," muttered Roger. Collins threw his empty soda can at him. It hit his forehead.

"Ow! C'mon, man, don't do that! What am I, a human target?"

"Yes," said Mark, hurling a crumpled piece of paper at him. It bounced off his shoulder.

"Hey!"

"Roger, here's a helpful tip; don't be an asshole, and don't get things thrown out you. I promise, if you do one of those things, the other will take care of itself." Roger humphed and crossed his arm, settling back into the couch. From downstairs, there was a shriek and then a cry of, "No way, oooooh no way! No! Get off of me! HELP!" Then a loud thump and the words, "Get her arms! Watch out for the elbows!"

The three men looked at each other. And then, simultaneously, they all thanked god that they weren't the ones who had to force Angel in those clothes.


	5. Completing The Look

**here it is, next chapter! sorry things are moving a little slowly, but promise the action will pick up really soon! and there are chills, thrils, and little frilly things coming up...**

**hee hee.**

**-Panda**

"Ok, ok, at ease…" Maureen, panting, stepped back, pushing the sweaty hair out of her face with one hand. Mimi and Joanne also ceased, Mimi collapsing onto her bed and Joanne leaning against the desk. All three women looked tired but very, very proud of themselves.

"Just letting you know that, was my incredible self-restraint not running overtime right now, I would be strangling you three," Angel said, glaring at them all. She sat in the chair from before, arms crossed. Maureen rolled her eyes.

"Honey, you've threatened us more times than you've blinked in the last hour and a half. I think that if any of them were true, we'd be dead many times over. And besides, it's not that bad. C'mon, look in the mirror and tell me you hate what you see."

Angel swiveled around to face the vanity mirror. She grimaced when she saw what was staring out at her: a young man with dark five o'clock shadow wearing a white t-shirt, a blue button-down shirt over that, those heavy jeans that never seem to ever get dirty, and sneakers. A head thread bracelet settled on one wrist, and a small chain (stolen fork Roger) settled plainly in sight on the young man's chest chest.

"I look like some sort of Benny-esque yuppie freak."

"Yeah, but that's how Mimi's mom expects it. So deal." Maureen fanned herself, looking satisfied. Mimi rolled her eyes as she watched Angel swipe angrily at the button-down shirt.

"Angel, it's really not so bad. Remember what Maureen tried after you refused the tank top?"

"Ah, yes. The Polo Shirt of a Thousand Screams," reminisced Joanne. Angel grunted unhappily.

"It was disgusting. Not fit to exist on this earth, let alone come anywhere near me. All this stuff is horrible, anyway." Maureen groaned and flopped back onto the bed, nearly clocking Mimi with her arm.

"I don't get it, Angel. Really, what's so bad about this? You're doing a little acting job for your best friend's mommy, and you have to take off the heels for a day. So what?" Angel sighed deeply and looked belittlingly at Maureen.

"First, I _hate_ being straight. It makes me nauseous. Second, Mimi _promised_ that I wouldn't have to do this again. And third, there's no way in hell that I enjoy wearing the clothes of three different guys, one of which is my friend's boyfriend and another one of which is my boyfriend."

"At least Maureen dropped the underwear thing," mumbled Joanne. Maureen stuck her tongue out.

"Well, excuse me for wanting to be detailed!"

"Cut it out, you two," said Mimi wearily, sitting up and surveying Angel with a trained eye. "Hmm. It looks almost perfect, but there's just something…I can't figure it out." Joanne and Maureen looked at Angel too, scrutinizing her closely. Angel scrunched up in the chair, trying to shield herself from their stares.

"I think I know what you mean, Mimi. It's just…something."

"Yeah…ooh! I know!" Joanne suddenly jumped up and ran to her purse over on the window ledge, ruffling through its contents hurriedly. Maureen and Mimi watched her, curious. Even Angel uncurled a little to peek at Joanne.

"Ah hah!" The lawyer turned around triumphantly, a small black faux-leather case in one hand. Striding over to Angel, she snapped open the case and turned it upside-down, sending a pair of thin, rectangular glasses with navy frames sliding into her hand.

"Oh no, Joanne, not a chance. And besides, you know I can't see through those things. I tried once and nearly fell out the window, remember?"

"Yeah, Pookie. Your reading glasses are too strong for Angel to wear."

"Ah, but these aren't my reading glasses," declared Joanne. "When I went to get some from the eye doctor, he gave me a few pairs with plain glass lenses to take home and try on; you know, so I could decide what kind of look I wanted. After I got the real ones, I guess I just saved the replicas. I knew they'd come in handy!" And before Angel could protest, Joanne moved forward and slipped the glasses onto her face. Angel squirmed, but then opened her eyes and blinked, looking around the flat with wide eyes. The images were clear; the lenses were plain glass.

"Wow, Joanne, those are perfect! It totally completes the outfit." Mimi smiled, turning her head this way and that see Angel from different views.

"Yeah, baby, nice job. Me like a lot." Maureen threw an arm around Joanne's shoulders. Meanwhile, Angel was actually smiling.

"These are pretty cool, Jo…but I'm still not wearing them!" Suddenly frowning again, she tore the glasses off. Maureen sighed heavily and squared her shoulders.

"Now you're just being stubborn on purpose. You said yourself they were cool, so now you gotta wear them! And don't make me duck tape them to your head, Angel. I mean it this time." Angel glared at her, but begrudgingly put on the glasses, looking around curiously.

"Fine. But only because I like 'em." Mimi let out a relieved breath, and Joanne smiled proudly. Maureen stood still a moment, then clapped her hands.

"Ok, girls…and guys." Angel glared grumpily at her. "I believe that it is time for the exhibition."

"Wait. What exhibition?" Angel asked, suddenly sounding nervous. Maureen smiled smugly and said, "Why, the exhibition for the guys. They have to approve too, you know." Angel stared at her a minute. Then she purposefully gripped the armrests of the chair and gazed long and hard at Maureen.

"Johnson, you've done a lot of things to me today. Nothing short of strapping me down and throwing rocks at me. But one thing you will not do, one thing I will forever refuse to let you do, is make me go up there in front of them dressed like this. You can't and won't." Maureen glanced at Mimi and Joanne. They all nodded and looked back at Angel. Slowly and surely, spreading out into a wedge formation, the three moved towards Angel.

"Ok, stop it now…get away from me, I swear to god…Mimi, don't—ow! That fucking hurts! Get off! No! You can't make me! I WON'T DO IT!"

_Five minutes later…_

"Are we cooperating now?"

"Maureen, let me go or I'll—"

"We're not letting go until you agree to go peacefully."

"So help me, I will—"

"Angel, calm down. This is insane. Just stop freaking out and we'll all be nice and do this the easy way."

"She's not giving in, Maureen."

"Damn it, Mimi, I know that! Ok, Angel, the hard way or the easy way. Take your pick."

"I can tell you where to shove that 'easy way'—"

"Ok, girls. You heard her. Hard way it is."


	6. Gentlemen

**Hey! Just a little thing: don't worry! You will not be disappointed with the following few chapters! And yes, this might not make a lot of sense, but just pretend it does. Use you IMAGINATIONS, right?**

**Luvvies!**

**-Panda**

"Gentlemen, take your seats." Collins, Roger, and Mark looked up from their argument to see Joanne standing in the doorway to the loft, looking exhausted but proud. Roger grinned and rubbed his hands together.

"Is this the part where we get to laugh at Angel?" Collins rolled his eyes and swatted Roger on the side of the head.

"Ow!"

"Roger, I've got to agree with Collins. If knew what we've just gone through to get Angel to come up here, you'd be signing your own death warrant by even giggling." Joanne didn't seem to be joking. Roger grumbled and crossed his arms.

"Wait!" Mark said, running over to his bag and pulling out his camera. "I gotta get this on film."

"It's your funeral if she sees it," said Joanne, shrugging. Mark wound up the camera, grinning. Collins gestured to the door.

"I think we're ready, Jo. Show her in." Joanne nodded and threw her arms out in an extravagant gesture.

"I present to you, after hours of painstaking and life-threatening work by Dr. Johnson, Dr. Marquez, and myself, the new and improved—"

"Not improved according to Angel," muttered Roger.

"The new and improved," continued Joanne, glaring at Roger, " Angel Dumott Schunard!" There was a sound of footsteps as several people moved up the steps, albeit reluctantly. Then they heard Angel hiss, "No! I will not—"

"Angel Dumott Schunard, whether she wanted to be improved or not!" Joanne said, and slid the door open. Behind it stood Maureen, Angel, and Mimi. Maureen and Mimi had iron grips on Angel's arms, and although they were smiling you could see that Mimi was grinding her teeth and Maureen's left eye was twitching slightly. Angel directed a killer glare at the three guys in the room.

"Don't. Say. Anything." Her voice was chipped from stone. Collins, Roger, and Mark stared at her, Mark even forgetting to film. Roger's face was slowly contorting the effort not to laugh, and Collins's mouth dropped open slightly. Mark blinked.

"So? What do you three think?" asked Maureen, pushing Angel forward a little. Angel glared at her and muttered, "If I had my heels—"

"Well, it's, um…different," said Roger slowly walking forward and circling Angel like a fashion show judge. She started towards him, but Mimi and Maureen pulled her back.

"I have to say that after close examination you look like…" Roger darted back a couple yards before he finished his sentence. "You look like Benny's younger brother."

"Watch yourself, Davis," growled Angel. Roger, relieved that he wasn't being chased down at the moment, sat on the couch. Mark and Collins slowly advanced, Mark finally remembering to film and doing all he could to keep the camera out of Angel's sight.

"Wow…" said Collins, eyes wide. Angel tried to cross her arms, but Mimi and Maureen weren't that stupid. She let her arms hang by her sides.

"Wow what? Wow good or wow god awful?" Angel asked, shifting her weight onto one foot. Collins smiled.

"Wow…good. Wow different, but wow good."

"Stop with the wow thing, already," groaned Mimi. Mark suddenly darted out, his camera tightly held in his hands.

"Here we have Mr. Angel Schunard, just back from his trip to the 11th Street Spa, where he has been transformed by our lovely beauticians."

"Oh, you're asking for it now!" Angel growled, straining to run after Mark. Maureen and Mimi held her back. Angel sighed.

"You two, I'm calm, ok? Can you please let go of me, it's getting annoying!"

"On two conditions," said Maureen. "One, you promise not to inflict bodily harm on anyone." Angel rolled her eyes and nodded. "And two, you come out with us to get the drinks we all seriously need after this afternoon, _and _you come like this." Angel opened her mouth to protest, but the promise of freedom from the hands that were cutting off her circulation was too tempting.

"Fine." They released her, and Angel started massaging her upper arms, grumbling. Roger leapt up from the couch, face eager.

"Did someone say drinks? I could have sworn I heard someone mention drinks." Mimi rolled her eyes and took his arm. Maureen practically collapsed on Joanne, one arm slung over her shoulders. They moved through the doorway, followed by Mark, who was shaking his head and laughing at the sheer absurdity of it all.

"Ange, you coming?" Collins asked, offering her his hand. She sighed and took it, nodding.

"I promised. Not that certain others don't have problems with breaking promises…" Mimi rolled her eyes and stood there, waiting for Angel. But before Angel could start for the door, Collins wrapped his arms around her waist.

"You know…it was a bit of an understatement when I said that you looked 'good'." Angel smiled, probably the first smile since half a day ago, and turned to face him.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I think you can figure it out." Mimi, who had been watching them, turned and, dragging a protesting Roger behind her, ran as fast as she could out of the apartment.

After all, when your best friend agrees to pretend to be a straight guy just so your mother doesn't drag you home, you've got to let her have _some_ time alone with her boyfriend. It's really not fair otherwise.

** Heh! that's the end of another chapter, and to quote Mark, "Things are heating up!" The next chapters will be fun. promise!**


	7. Grrrrr

**yes, short, i'm sorry! wriet's block, this was all i had. Mimi's mom shows up in the next one, so stay tuned! **

"How long are we going to wait for them, Mimi?"

"Quit whining. For as long as it takes, Roger." Roger groaned and crossed his arms, leaning against the back of the building.

"Mimi, you saw what was going on when we left. Do you _really_ think they'll be done soon?"

"Shut up. Look, if Angel and Collins don't get down here in ten minutes, I'll go up and break them apart, how's that?"

"Ugh, fine! I'm just a little desperate for a drink, that's all." Mimi turned and glared at him.

"Do you have any idea how much _I _need one? Let me tell you, Roger, that turning Angel into a straight guy when she'd rather throw herself off a bridge than let me do it is not, shall I say, fun! So just stop complaining and—"

"Time out, you two." Mimi whirled around to see Angel walking down the stairs from the loft, looking a _lot_ calmer than she had fifteen minutes ago. Collins followed, straightening his cap.

"Praise the Lord!" said Roger, throwing his hands in the air. "Now can we _please_ go and join the others?"

"What, you guys waited? Why?" Collins looked confused. Mimi rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Because I have to talk to Angel, and anyway, neither of you knew where we were going. Come on, we should go before they start to worry." Mimi grabbed Angel's arm and dragged her down the street, followed by Collins and Roger.

"Chill, Mimi, what's your problem? There's not a shortage of alcohol or anything, you can slow down." Angel smiled and pulled Mimi back, slowing her hurried pace. Mimi glared at her; Angel had spent the day making her life hell, she wasn't allowed to be cheerful now.

"Maybe I'm a little cranky because you two kept us waiting for twenty minutes! After all—"

"Hey, calm down. We didn't even know you were waiting, or we would have come down a lot sooner. No that the extra time wasn't appreciated…" Angel slipped her arm through Mimi's and bumped her hip playfully. Seeing as Angel looked to the rest of the world like a straight guy, this might have seemed a little strange to passersby.

"Great. You get to make out with your boyfriend while I'm fighting with Roger, dying for a drink, and preparing for my freaking mother to come and wreck my life! Gee, my day is swell so far!" Mimi shook Angel off and strode forward, shoulders hunched and arms crossed. She could hear Angel running to catch up with her.

"Chica, listen. I'm sorry I gave you such a hard time about this whole thing, and I really want to—"

"Angel, don't you get it? While you're working as hard as you can to make this a nightmare for me, I'm scared that my mother will drag me home! You're my best friend! Can't you just do it for me? I know I was a jerk to make you do it, but still!" Mimi was nears tears now. Angel was silent, keeping pace with her and staring straight ahead. Finally, she spoke.

"Mimi, I know that I acted the wrong way about this. I guess…I just didn't want to do this. For once, I wanted to make you take the hard way. But now…I think you've gone through enough. I'll be quiet about the rest of this, I swear. Girl, you're my best friend too. I'm here for you, 'kay?" Mimi breathed deeply, then looked at Angel.

"Really?"

"Yeah. C'mon, honey, this was my one chance to give you a hard time. Think of it as an early birthday present." Mimi rolled her eyes, but smiled. She looped her arm through Angel's.

"I guess I deserved it…"

"Hey! What are you two, blind?" Roger's shout made them both turn around. They saw that he and Collins were standing in front of the club that the others had gone too. They had walked completely past it.

"Sorry!" Mimi called, turning and running back to Roger with Angel. He rolled his eyes, but put an arm around her anyway. Followed by Angel and Collins, they walked inside.


	8. Arrival

"Everyone else upstairs?"

"Check."

"Apartment cleaned out?"

"Check."

"You're ready and dressed?"

"Mimi, look at me. Obviously check."

"Ok, ok, ok. My mom's taxi is gonna be here any minute, so…so…" Mimi stood still for a minute, then collapsed back onto her bed, nearly hyperventilating.

"I can't do this, oh god, Angel, I can't do this…" Rolling his eyes, Angel sat down beside Mimi, putting a hand on her arm.

"Girl, look at me." Mimi looked up, eyes wide. Angel smiled, although it looked a little more like a grimace. "We've spent the last day and a half getting ready for this. You've almost emptied your apartment, you've turned everyone else's lives upside down, and, more importantly, you've forced me to pretend to be your boyfriend. There is NO way I'm letting you quit now." Mimi sighed.

"Nice pep talk." Angel smiled truly now, a nice smile, and squeezed Mimi's arm.

"You can do it, honey. I know you can. Just…think of it as some weird-ass job you picked up because you needed to buy some new shoes." Mimi looked thoughtful for a moment, then frowned.

"Strangely, that _does_ make me feel better." Angel shrugged and stood up, pushing the glasses up the bridge of his nose. It was a strange habit he had developed ever since Maureen got him to wear them. Angel looked around, then reluctantly started towards the door.

"You coming?" Mimi sighed and got up, joining Angel as they stepped out into the hallway. Just as they were about to head downstairs, they heard footsteps. Maureen ran down the stairs from the loft, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Hey! Oh, are you guys going down to meet your mom, Mimi? Jeez, this is gonna be so funny! I can't believe—"

"Maureen! Zip it!" said Mimi firmly, putting her hands on the woman's shoulders. Maureen rolled her eyes and stopped jumping.

"Fine. But anyway, I came downstairs to say good luck! Oh, and Mark says he's sorry if the shirt feels a little funky, Angel. It's always been like that, according to him." Angel's face was long suffering, and as he and Mimi descended the stairs, Mimi heard him mutter something that sounded like, "Mmmble mmmble _shirt_ rassafrassin _Mark_ mmble…"

"Oh shit, here she comes," whispered Mimi. The yellow taxi was making it's way down the street now, as slow as if it had been part of a slow motion video. Nervously, Mimi started to snap her fingers. Angel slapped her hands.

"Stop it! Ok, Mimi, calm down, this is no big deal…"

"You're one to talk," mumbled Mimi. And Angel might have replied if, at that moment, the taxi hadn't parked and the door hadn't opened.

"MIMI!" The shout was accompanied by a woman, wrinkled and substantially fat, who practically exploded out of the taxi. She was dressed in a flowery dress that might have, under other circumstances, been a circus tent. Her graying brown hair was curled up in a tight bun, and her skin was identical in color to Mimi's. Before Mimi had time to defend herself, her mother descended upon her, wrapping huge flabby arms around Mimi's skinny frame. Shrieking joyous words in erratic Spanish, she hugged Mimi tightly, actually lifting her off the ground. Angel stumbled backwards, his eyes wide and his hands out in front of her as if to ward off an attack.

"Mama, mama, let me go!" Mimi finally managed to gasp, her lungs being squeezed painfully by her mother's embrace. Her mother set her down but continued to chatter in Spanish, running her hands over Mimi's face and arms and hair, her round, lined face ecstatic.

"Um…I'll just…um…" Hesitantly, Angel went to the open door of the cab and grabbed the suitcase inside, heaving it out. The moment he got it completely free of the cab and shut the door, the driver sped away, burning rubber as he sought freedom from the loud, bossy woman who had inhabited his cab for the last twenty minutes.

"Mimi, Mimi, little Mimi, how you've grown! Oh, I haven't seen you in so long, honey! You're so beautiful, I just can't—ah, and this is the young man who you have told me so much about!" Mimi's mother turned and, still talking quickly in Spanish, hugged Angel with the same strength as she had done to Mimi. Angel let out a gasp as his lungs were suddenly halfway crushed. Mimi tried desperately to get her mother to put Angel down, but it was only after Angel's face had begun to pale from lack of air that Mimi's mother released him.

"Oh my, it's just so wonderful to see you again! Come, come, let's go up and see your house! I've been looking forward to it all day!" Mimi's mother grabbed Mimi's hands eagerly, smiling at her daughter. Mimi took a second to gather herself, then said forcedly, "Sure, Mama. Let's go upstairs…" Her mother nodded happily and started pulling Mimi towards the door to the building. Behind them, Angel leaned against a telephone pole, breathing deeply. Mimi's mother was…not of the usual sort.


	9. Acting Skills

**Sorry, I know it's been ages since i last udpated...anyhoodle, here's a new chapter, hope you all like it! This, btw, is probably one of the weirdest fic ideas i've ever had...wonder if ti had to do with those fruit-scneted marker fumes i love so muh? Whatever.**

**Happy Halloween! Boo!**

"Mimi, your house! It is so…lovely!" Mimi's mother exclaimed happily, barging into the apartment. Mimi followed behind her, feeling like a train had run over her full force. Angel brought up the rear, lugging the giant black suitcase and still trying to catch his breath.

Mrs. Marquez swept through the flat, cooing and gasping and running her hands over everything. Mimi watched anxiously, nervous that her mother might find some sign that all was not as it usually was.

"Oh…my Mimi, it is so good to be here! But sit, sit! I want to talk to my little girl and her handsome boy," said Mrs. Marquez, smiling widely and gesturing at Mimi's sofa. Angel, who had put down the suitcase by the door, shot Mimi a look. Mimi pretended not to see it and nodded in a strained way.

"Mama…don't you want something to drink after that long trip?" Mimi asked, hoping to stall so that Angel could have a little time to gather himself. But Mrs. Marquez shook her head.

"I'm fine, Mimi, I had something before I left. Now sit and talk to your old mama!"

Mimi obediently sank onto the couch, waving a hand at Angel to summon him over. With an audible sigh, Angel went over to sit next to Mimi, hands clenched into fists. Mimi poked him in the side as he sat and, in the split second his hand loosened, grabbed it. He tried to let go, but she kept a firm grip. Angel growled slightly in his throat as Mrs. Marquez sat in the squashy chair opposite them, her giant flowery dress billowing like a ship's sail. Her eyes, as she smiled at Mimi and Angel, were not unkind. Yet something was hidden behind them, a certain something that made you cower slightly. It was unnerving.

"So…" she sighed happily, gazing at them as though they were a Hallmark couple. "What have you been doing here in New York? Mimi, I know you have been dancing, but you, Angelo…Mimi never told me what you do for work." Angel sat there for a few seconds, as though in a trance, until Mimi pinched the inside of his hand very gently and he came to.

"Oh…different things. Delivery jobs, construction, stuff like that…" Angel winced as he spoke, like it was physically painful to say these things. Mimi nodded and smiled in a strained way. Her mother didn't appear to notice; instead, she fixed a beady black eye on Angel.

"Are these jobs dependable? I do not want my Mimi to have a man who she cannot depend on for support and earnings." Mimi sighed and leaned forward.

"Mama, Angel is—Angelo has a perfectly good income, we're fine, I told you that."

"I know, I'm just checking, Mimi. You can never be too careful when it comes to men." Mimi groaned inwardly. "Never be too careful" was her mother's mantra. Angel was looking increasingly awkward, glancing at Mimi and her mother in an obviously guilty way. Mimi felt desperate. She knew how stupid this was: a whole elaborate thing just for her mother, but really the others didn't know how her mother could be.

They didn't know…

"So, Mimi and Angelo…I have been wondering," Mrs. Marquez said in a perky tone, "when I can expect some little grandchildren."

If Angel or Mimi had been drinking anything at the moment, they would have spit it out in the way movie characters always do. Instead, Angel looked like he was going to throw up, and Mimi felt like bashing her head into a wall. She forced herself to smile harder.

"Mama, it's a little early for that…" Mrs. Marquez shook her head and snorted.

"Of course it isn't! Why, in the town I grew up in, every girl had a bunch of fat babies in her arms by the time she turned seventeen. If it wasn't for your idiot father, rest his soul…" Mimi's mother crossed herself, apparently paying her respects to the "idiot father". Angel mouthed wordlessly, and Mimi knew she had to intervene before Angel exploded.

"Mama, Angelo and I have talked about this, and we're going to wait a while longer; just until we feel a little more stable in our lives." A good answer, thought Mimi, impressed with herself. Her mother, however, seemed skeptical.

"Angelo, what about you? I know many men would be happy to be the father of my Mimi's babies. And also, many men would be very happy to be my Mimi's husband. Why haven't you asked her to marry you yet?"

"Mama!" Mimi cried, horrified. This is it, she thought desperately. This is what's going to make Angel crack, and she'll give the whole thing away…

"No, Mimi, baby, it's okay. That's a good question." Mimi turned to stare at Angel, who, wonder of wonders, was suddenly smiling. There was a faraway look in his eyes, and all of a sudden he looked at Mimi's mother and nodded.

"I've been thinking about it for a while now. In fact, I may be reaching a conclusion very soon…" And then he did it. He winked at Mimi's mother.

_Winked_ at her.

Mimi already feared for Angel's sanity when her mother smiled back at Angel.

"I'm so glad, Angelo, you know you're a very lucky man. Tell me; do you enjoy living here, in New York?"

"Oh yes, very much. In fact, the reason I—" And Angel was off and running. Mimi happily and amazedly shut up as she watched Angel chat pleasantly with her mother like they were the oldest of friends. She didn't have to say a word.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Mimi's mother laughed a booming laugh and stood.

"It was wonderful talking to you, Angelo, but I think now I might want to take a walk with my Mimi. She can show me this wonderful city! All right, Mimi?"

"S-sure, Mama. Just go get your coat…" Mimi mother's nodded happily and bustled off to fetch her fancy brown coat from her suitcase. As she bent over the giant balck monster, Mimi leaned over to Angel.

"What the hell was that, Angel? How did you—"

"Never mind that, just get out of here before I scream," muttered Angel through locked teeth. Mimi nodded and, shaking her head in amazement, got up to get her own coat. Her mother, grinning with large yellowish teeth, hooked her arm through Mimi's and dragged her out the door. Mimi cast one last grateful look at Angel before she was pulled out of sight.

Angel waited until they were down the steps and out of the building. Then he got up, walked over to the sink, filled a cup with water, and splashed himself violently in the face.

* * *

"Oh, Mimi, he is wonderful, perfect for you," cooed Mrs. Marquez as she and Mimi strolled through Tompkins Square Park. Mimi's mother had only stopped talking about Angel to badger Mimi about her coat, which was too thin and too skimpy (skimpy! Mimi thought) for her taste. Mimi rolled her eyes and nodded as her mother jabbered on and on about her perfect "boyfriend".

"Mimi, I am so happy for you!" said Mrs. Marquez finally, and indeed she did look happy for her child. At that moment, Mimi found it hard to believe this was the woman who had hit Mimi when she a little girl; the same woman who had not allowed her daughter to go to slumber parties or after-school play dates because she was, as her mother put it, a "bad girl"; the same woman who had driven away so many friends and family with her loud, abusive, critical ways. Right now, she just seemed to be an old lady who was happy that he daughter had found a good man.

But Mimi knew better.

"And Mimi…my Mimi, now I will tell you something to make you happy, a surprise that I did not tell you in my letters," said her mother, looking positively jubilant. Mimi felt a chill go up her back.

"What, Mama?"

"Well, it has been four years since you felt, and since then all of your brothers and sisters have left home too. I am lonely at home, cleaning and sewing in an empty house…" Mrs. Marquez said, sounding almost pathetic. Mimi kept her guard up.

"And Mimi, I have missed you, so one day I went to the bank and found out my entire savings. Mimi, they were much bigger than I thought; all those years of saving and scrimping, I think. But then I thought more: I am lonely and I am going to visit my Mimi and her boy—boyfriend. I know how rough it is in New York, and how much I missed you. And I thought: why not _stay_ in New York, where I can take care of my Mimi and…" she smiled wider, "be here on her wedding day and to take care of her babies?"

"Wha…what?" Mimi was feeling slightly numb. Her mother couldn't mean that; please god, anything but that…

"Yes, Mimi, I have decided to move here, to New York! I can rent a little apartment with my savings and live here to watch over you and Angelo, help plan your wedding, take care of your babies…" Mimi had stopped listening. Her heart was pounding and she felt vaguely sick.

Her mother was moving to New York…

Her mother was moving to New York…

Her mother was fucking moving to fucking New York…

Mimi had had plenty of nightmares before in her life; more than most people, perhaps. But never before had she experienced one so totally and completely hellish.

Angel was _not_ going to like this.

**Hah! So there it is...love it, hate it, hand it out for Halloween candy, don't care...just review, pretty please? Oh, and two interesting tidbits bout my life...first of all, I was Roger for Halloween! Plaid pajama pants and all...it was fun! Second of all, i had "I'll Cover You: Reprise" stuck in my head all day! I was incredibly despressing, and i cried during humanities. Oh well!**

** Luvvies!**


	10. Explanation

"Now, you promise I will not be disturbed until I am done?"

"Of course, Mama. Angelo is out finishing up work and I'll…maybe I'll join him or something. But I swear that no one will bother you until you're done cooking."

"Good. I always said that my best food came from when you little ones did not burst in on me like animals!" Mimi's mother smiled affectionately, at the same time reaching behind her to tie her apron strings. The apron in question was flowery and full-length, spattered with stains from Mimi's childhood. On the kitchen counter beside her mother was strewn a variety of food ingredients the likes of which Mimi had not seen since years ago. Battered pots and pans from home sat lopsidedly on the small, sputtering stove, while the worn, two-inch-thick volume of recipes, passed down through generations of Marquez women, sat like a small black monster apart from the other things.

Mimi's mother had decided to cook dinner.

"Ok, Mama. I'll see you soon!" Mimi said, walking towards the door. As she left, she waved. Her mother, however, was already bustling around sorting vegetables into piles, so she missed the friendly gesture.

Once outside in the hallway, Mimi leaned against the wall. Everyone, including Angel, was upstairs, she knew that. But how to tell them what had happened…that was the question. She could run in, yell it, and then run out before they could throw anything or start or to strangle her…no, that wasn't good. She could bring it up in general conversation…but she would be surrounded, making killing her an easy operation. Write them a note and mail it to them while getting on the plane for Europe?

Mimi liked the last one best.

But for want of a plane ticket, Mimi decided that going up and blurting it out as soon as she could was best. Head hanging, she climbed the stairs, feeling as though she was going to the gallows. And honestly, the slight nausea that had settled the moment her mother had told her she was moving to New York did not help.

After taking a deep breath, she knocked on the loft door. There was a scramble of feet, and then the door opened slightly, just enough for Maureen's eye to poke out.

"Friend or foe?" she called. Mimi groaned.

"It's me, Maureen, open the damn door."

"How do I know it isn't an especially clever disguise?"

"God damn it, Maureen, open the fucking door or I'll—"

"Yep, it's Mimi!" Maureen slid the door back and grabbed her friend by the wrist, pulling her into the loft and into a gigantic hug.

"Mimi!" She heard Roger's voice and pulled away from Maureen just in time to receive a hug form Roger. He kissed her cheek and giggled. "You put on quite a show down there."

"Wha—how would you know what happened downstairs?"

"Say hello to the magic of camera film!" Mark called. Roger moved away from her, so she could see the rest of the loft. Maureen had run back to the couch, where she had snuggled up next to Joanne. Collins sat in the big chair by the end of the couch with Angel on his lap (Angel still being in his 'costume', this was a pretty strange sight). Mark was standing by the projector, which was at the moment throwing a clear image of Mimi, Angel and her mother onto the canvas screen.

"Mark…please tell me you didn't do what I think you did." Mark nodded happily.

"Yup. I sneaked down the fire escape and filmed the _entire_ thing through the window. None of you ever noticed me." Mimi groaned and put her head in her hands, much to the amusement of everyone else.

"Mimi, hon, I think I owe you a bit of an apology." Angel got up from Collins's lap and walked over to Mimi. Her glasses were off, and Mimi saw that she looked a lot calmer. "It was pretty bad at first, but well…something in me snapped, I guess. It was just easy acting after that. Although I get what you mean about your mom. She's got this weird creepy vibe going."

"I know, I know. Listen, Angel, there's something—"

"I especially liked Mimi's face when her mom asked about grandkids!" called Maureen, and the others laughed. Mimi wished they would shut up.

"No, but you guys, I have to tell you—"

"Oh, and when Angel started talking with her mom? Mimi looked priceless!" More laughter. Mimi couldn't stand it anymore.

"SHUT UP!" They all whirled to look at her. She was breathing hard, and her hands were clenched into fists. Roger, who was still standing beside her, frowned and put a hand on her shoulder. Angel looked surprised, and she took a step back.

"LISTEN to me, please! Guys, there's something I've got to tell you, and no one is going to like it, all right? But just listen!"

"Ok, ok, Mimi, what's wrong?" asked Joanne worriedly. Mimi took a breath and said it very fast.

"MymamaismovingtoNewYorkandshe'sgoingtolivenearusandruinourlives."

"Huh?" Collins asked. Everyone else looked confused too. Then, after a moment of silent communication, they all got up and went over to Angel, Mimi, and Roger. Mimi felt hemmed in, but she took a deep breath and spoke again.

"I was walking with Mama, and she was talking to me, and then…then she told me that…oh fuck, I'll just say it. She's moving to New York City, all right? There, I said it." Mimi braced herself for an explosion.

Strangely, there wasn't one. Everyone looked confused. Then Maureen laughed, and the confusion on people's face was replaced by amusement. Mimi felt sick to her stomach.

"What? Why are you laughing? Have you all gone crazy?"

"You had me for a second, Mimi, I've got to admit it," chuckled Collins. Mark snorted and shook his head, while Angel crossed her arms and tilted her head forward, looking pointedly at Mimi.

"Don't joke like that, honey. Just don't."

"What? But I wasn't joking. She's actually moving here, to New York!" Roger grinned and rolled his eyes. Joanne giggled. Mimi stamped her feet like a little girl.

"I'm not kidding! She's moving here, and IT'S NOT A JOKE!" Everyone else just rolled their eyes. But Angel was looking at her differently now; a sort of warning frown.

"Mimi, stop it."

"She's moving to New York, Angel!"

"Stop saying that!"

"SHE'S MOVING TO NEW YORK, DON'T YOU GET IT?"

"Stop saying that, Mimi, I mean it!"

"Moving to New York, moving to New York, moving to New York!"

"Oh my fucking god…" Angel turned and walked swiftly to the opposite wall of the loft, where she leaned forward against the cold wall. Mimi, who was panting, now noticed that everyone was staring at her. She gulped and glared.

"It's true, it's not a joke, she's fucking moving to New York, you guys! Don't you get it? She-is-going-to-ruin-my-life!"

"But…" Maureen said, her sentence dying in her throat. There was silence for a moment. Then Collins went back to his chair and sat down, eyes closed and head in hands. Mark threw his hands in the air, and Roger's mouth dropped open. Maureen looked horrified.

"But if she moves here…then Angel and you are going to be pretending to be boyfriend and girlfriend forever! And she's going to find out everything, and…oh Jesus, this isn't good."

"Not good? Are you kidding? It's a disaster, Maureen!" Mimi said vehemently. Across the room, Angel turned slowly to face the loft. She looked murderous.

"Mimi, do you realize what this means?" she said slowly, walking towards Mimi. Mimi ducked behind Roger, who looked equally scared of the advancing Angel. "It means that you promised she would be gone after a day, and now she's here forever and I…" Angel stopped herself and stood still for a moment, eyes closed. Mimi peered out from behind Roger. Angel looked like a bomb ready to go off.

"…And I think I need a minute." Angel turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. A second later, everyone heard something crunch.

Well, that went over well, thought Mimi gloomily.

**I enjoyed writing this. It was fun. And the nest few chapters...well, me have big plans. (giggles evilly) By the way, I know thsat Angel switched to "he" in the last two chapters, but that was because with Mimi and her mom, three she's might have been confusing, So now Angel is back to "she", like i alwasy write her.  
**


	11. I'll Forgive You

**Next chapter up! btw, a lot of reviews have been saying that they want to see more of Roger's reactions to this whole deal. I promise that it will come up later (hah haha, i know something you don't know) so that's why i'm staying slightly moot on the point for now. Anyway, this is a bit of a filler chapter, but the next one might possibly be the biggie! oh, and Saran VD promised me a sticker if i wrote more...so I WANT MY STICKER!!  
**

"Mimi, is everything all right?" asked Mrs. Marquez. Mimi looked up and nodded vaguely.

"Why do you ask, Mama?"

"That plate has been dry for five minutes, but you're still drying it." Mimi glanced down and found that she had indeed been drying the same plate she had first picked up. Embarrassed, she laid it down and picked up another one.

She was helping her mother with the dishes after dinner (at her mother's insistence). The meal had been awkward. It had taken half an hour and all the persuasive power that Maureen, Collins, and Maureen possessed to get Angel to come out of the bathroom, and even then she had refused to talk to Mimi. They had managed to convince her that she should go down to Mimi's for dinner, but Angel talked only to Mrs. Marquez, and even those words sounded like they were chipped from stone. The magnificent act of before was much more forced, and even the boisterous, rather gluttonous Mrs. Marquez had noticed. Her chats with Angel about his and Mimi's supposed life in New York often died as Angel trailed off and just glared at Mimi.

It was finally over though, and Angel had retired upstairs to "spend a little time with his friends" as Mimi put it, watching Angel's back as the door closed on it. Now she and her mother were doing the dishes, though Mimi was, to put it mildly, distracted.

"Angelo seemed a little quiet tonight as well," mused her mother as she rinsed a bowl in sudsy water. Mimi began to dry a ratty colander that was probably older than she was. Her mother had brought it from home, along with twenty thousand other cooking utensils. They seemed to have worked, because the mountains of food she bought and prepared were just as delicious as the ones in Mimi's memory.

It was too bad that everything has seemed like sandpaper on her tongue.

"Yes, well, I think he was tired. He had a busy day at work." Mimi grimaced as she thought of Angel. Stubborn, sadistic little-

"Or…he might have a certain question on his mind." Mimi's mother sounded as though she was struggling not to yell something aloud. Mimi perked up. What did her mother mean?

"What are you talking about, Mama?"

"I am talking about him proposing to you!" Mrs. Marquez burst out happily, nearly splashing dirty water all over her daughter. Mimi struggled to conceal her annoyance and sighed.

"Mama, I reeaaally don't think so." Mrs. Marquez snorted.

"Mimi, I saw the way he looked at you. It was obvious. Oh, I am so excited!" Mimi threw down her dish towel and headed towards the bathroom.

"Mimi, where are you going?" Away from you, Mimi wanted to yell. Instead, she only grunted and slipped into the bathroom, where she sat down on the toilet seat, head in her hands.

"Go away."

"Angel…"

"Go away!"

"Angel, talk to me. Don't do this." Mimi leaned against the wall of the building, shivering slightly in the chilly night air. Angel stood in front of her on the fire escape outside the loft, hands on the rail as she looked out across the street. She still looked like a guy, though the glasses were off. Mimi found herself wondering how it would feel to have to spend the day in those clothes, how strange and uncomfortable it would be. But Angel is really a guy, she reminded herself. She actually does dress like that sometimes. Inside, the others sat around in the loft, occasionally glancing at the two of them out the window. How they had gotten Angel to see her was a miracle. Mimi didn't want to know, though. She wanted to focus on getting Angel to at least talk to her.

"Look. You don't have to talk. Just listen." Angel didn't respond. Mimi decided to see that as assent.

"Ok. Here it is. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for lying to my mom for years and not having the guts or brains to just tell her about my life or Roger. I'm sorry for dragging you into it and not giving you a real choice in the whole thing. I'm sorry for forcing you to do stuff you didn't want to do, and for subjecting you to my mother. I'm especially sorry about that." She noticed a very minimal twitch of Angel's lips. Was that a smile? Encouraged, Mimi kept talking.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about it, and that I acted like you had a responsibility for my problems or something. And I'm sorry about my mother moving to New York. I want you to know that I'm going to do everything I can to keep that from happening. I won't let this wreck our lives. Ok?" No answer. Mimi sighed.

"Angel, please. I said I was sorry; what more do you want? I can't do anything right now. Don't you get th—"

"I will forgive you on one condition." Angel's voice was stern. Mimi nearly fainted with relief.

"Anything!" Angel turned to look at her. Her eyes glinted in the streetlight.

"Get your mother the hell out of here." Mimi nodded so fast, her head was a blur.

"I will, I will! Oh, thank you so much, Angel!" She threw her arms around her friend. After a moment, Angel's arms went around her too. Mimi squeezed Angel tightly and felt a small amount of weight lift from her shoulders.

"Thank God," she said when they finally pulled apart. Mimi grinned at Angel, who rolled her eyes and smiled back. "I'm so glad…"

"Me too. But listen, you," said Angel shaking her finger at Mimi. "I'm a patient person, but even I am getting really tricked off with this whole thing,. It's gonna have to end…soon."

"It will," said Mimi, sounding way more confident than she was. Angel raised an eyebrow, but turned to go into the loft. Mimi caught her arm.

"What?"

"Well, um…" Mimi trailed off, reluctant to say what she had to. Angel sensed something bad was coming and got wary.

"What is it, Mimi?"

"See, my mom is staying the night so she can look at apartments tomorrow—not that I'll let her—but anyway, I think she expects that since you live in my house, you…sorta…sleep there. So I think you need to sleep at…my house tonight." Mimi braced herself for the explosion.

She was absolutely right to do so.

**Ick! I am actually getting really ticked off with Angel for forigivng Mimi so much, especially since the whole thing is ridiculous. But Angel will be Angel, I guess. Stay tuned for the Climax: Next Chapter. Funful!**

**luvvies!**


	12. Disaster

**here it is...**

"Well, my Mimi, did you sleep well?" asked her mother brightly as she spooned oatmeal into a bowl. Mimi yawned and rubbed her eyes, dark circles and all. Even the smell of her mother's oatmeal wasn't enough to wake Mimi up completely.

Angel had thrown a bit of a hissy fit the night before. She had refused to sleep in Mimi's apartment, so Mimi had to forbid her mother from going into her bedroom, saying that Angelo had come down quietly while they were washing up and had gotten ready for bed already; under no circumstances was he to be disturbed. Her mother had winked at her and said she understood, though Mimi caught her trying to force her way in with hot milk. Angel had slept in the loft and managed to sneak downstairs in the morning under the pretense of getting up early for work. Since she didn't want to wear the same clothes two days in a row, Angel was forced to borrow Roger's jeans and a sweatshirt of Mark's. Mimi knew, just from seeing how Angel moved, that she planning to shred and/or burn the clothes as soon as she could.

Mimi's night had been hard. She got about two hours of sleep from staying up in fear of her mother sneaking into her room at night, and se had gotten up extra early to head Angel off at the pass. Once Angel had gone, she could not get back to sleep. As a result…

Mimi was nearly brain-dead.

"Honey, eat, you are so skinny. Why you are such a little twig of a girl, I do not know, but I will try to fix it!" Mimi's mother pushed the bowl towards her. Feeling like a dry leaf, Mimi picked up her spoon and started eating the oatmeal. It must have been delicious. But Mimi couldn't taste a thing.

"Now, when you are done, I want you to get ready to go out. We are going apartment-hunting today!" Her mother clapped her hands excitedly. Mimi ground her teeth together.

"Ok, Mama."

"Good. But I am not leaving to get ready, Mimi, until you finish that oatmeal. Such a skinny little girl…must have been from your father's side of the family, bless his soul." Her mother crossed herself. It reminded Mimi of all the Sundays the Marquez family had spent in church. Her mother and father (bless his soul) had both been religious, and her mother had obviously not slackened in her convictions. Dimly, Mimi wondered why her mother hadn't gotten upset about Mimi not seeming religious. She didn't really care.

"Here, now. Give me that and go get that pretty dress I bought you yesterday on." Mimi's mother whisked her bowl away and swept over to the sink, where she briskly began to wash it out. Feeling as though her limbs were as solid as the oatmeal sitting heavily in her stomach, Mimi slouched into her bedroom to pull on the hideous, floral dress her mother had happily bought for her the other day. Really, she was just fed up with the whole thing; the fighting with Angel, the worrying the others, the fooling her mother…it was tiring her out. Once again, Mimi wondered why she had even bothered doing it.

"Too late now," she muttered to herself as she slipped into the dress, which ballooned out around in a fashion similar to a circus tent. Sighing, Mimi went out of her room and found her mother neatly putting her oatmeal bowl away on a shelf.

"Oh, Mimi, you look so pretty! Like a lovely flower," cooed her mother. Mimi sighed. Mrs. Marquez bustled over to the bathroom and went inside, first saying, "I'm just going to wash up a bit, and then we'll be on our way."

Mimi nodded and dully began putting on her shoes. She was just getting the first one on her foot when she heard a noise behind her. Turning, she saw Roger standing on the windowsill, obviously having just come in from the fire escape.

"Roger, what are you doing?" she whispered, getting up and running to him. He shrugged and carefully got down from the sill.

"I decided I wanted to see you. I haven't really been able to have a minute alone with you since two days ago. Especially not a minute alone when you're wearing that," he said, raising his eyebrows at her dress. She made to poke him on the shoulder, but suddenly found herself in his arms instead.

"You should go…my mama will be out any minute," she said softly, arms going around his neck. He held her close, breathed in the scent of her hair.

"I'll go in just a minute…man, it's good to really see you." Mimi laughed softly and laid her head on his shoulder. A second later, though, it snapped up.

"Roger…are you okay with this?" she asked tentatively. He frowned at her.

"With what?"

"With all this…Angel being my boyfriend, my mom, everything. I mean, you don't feel bad that I lied to my mom about you, right?" He shrugged.

"I don't think so. I mean, not as long as Angel isn't really your boyfriend… he isn't, is he?" Mimi laughed and ran one hand through his hair. He leaned down and kissed her gently. Mimi drew him closer; it was like she had forgotten how good it felt to kiss him. Slowly, she lost herself in the kiss.

And that was her big mistake.

If Mimi had been alert, she would have heard the tell-tale click of the bathroom lock opening. If she was alert, she might have heard the door start to open.

But she didn't. And that's why, upon exiting the bathroom, Mimi's mother got a lovely view of Mimi hungrily kissing a man who, to Mrs. Marquez's best knowledge, was not Angelo.

**heh. so fun.**


	13. She Caught Me Too

"MIMI!" The shout snapped through the kiss like a whip. Roger and Mimi sprang apart. Roger took a single second to look at the shocked, livid woman who was rapidly advancing on him, and then he did the only thing a true man could do: he made an athletic dive for the open window and zoomed up the fire escape, disappearing from sight and leaving Mimi alone with her mother.

"Mimi!" shouted her mother again. Mimi cowered as Mrs. Marquez loomed over her like Godzilla, complete with fangs and claws.

"I cannot believe what I have just seen! My own daughter, my very own child, is…I cannot even say it! You have betrayed a man who loved you, you have violated his trust, you have ruined the blessing you had! Such a horrible thing, I would never have expected of any of my children!"

"Mama, I—" But her mother would not listen. Instead, she turned on her heel and marched over to the door, throwing it open and striding outside. She slammed it as she exited, but the slam had not quite faded when Mimi heard her mother shriek like a banshee and then heard the sound of her footsteps thumping hurriedly down the stairs.

Mimi stood very still for a moment. Her mother had just caught her kissing someone other than the person who was supposed to be her boyfriend, and now she was out of the building and stomping around New York in a rage. Strangely enough, this didn't seem like such a bad thing.

The door banged open again, but it wasn't her mother. This time, it was Angel, who looked almost hysterical.

"Mimi, I'm so sorry, I messed everything up! She—"

"Angel, my mom caught me kissing Roger." Mimi's voice didn't sound like her own. Angel stopped in her frantic apology and stared at Mimi.

"She caught _you_ kissing? Oh man, this isn't even funny." Angel crossed her arms and sighed. "She burst in—or out, really—on me and Collins…you know, kissing too. I thought it was my fault the she looked so freaked out, but I guess it was you." Mimi blinked incredulously.

"My mom saw you _kissing_ him? Jesus, Angel, why were you doing that right outside my door? We _both_ could have walked out on you two!" Angel shrugged.

"Don't blame me, you're the one she caught first…but see, I was gonna go outside for a bit, and Collins went with me and well…we just forgot. I didn't mean to, I just completely forgot about the whole thing. And I guess…maybe I sort of wanted to get caught, just a little. After pretending to be with you for so long, I thought it would feel _really_ good to let your mom see me kissing Collins. But I really didn't mean to then." Angel looked apologetic, which made Mimi feel like such a scumbag that she couldn't stand it. Her legs suddenly wobbly, she walked over to the window sill and sank onto it, reminded of her dress when she nearly tripped on the hem. Angel leaned against the wall, arms crossed

"Well, what are we going to do now?" Mimi shrugged blandly.

"Dunno. She'll kill me, kill you, or drag me home. And since she doesn't have the legal right to kill you, seeing as you aren't her daughter, then it's my head for the slaughter. And frankly…" she sighed. "If she kills me, I don't care. I'm sick of this. But I don't want to be dragged home, and I won't be. Even if I have to chain myself to the door." Angel raised her eyebrows.

"Don't say that to her. Reminding her of chains might not be the best strategy. Anyway, we won't let her take you. The perfect-little-life scenario is pretty much ruined, but we can still convince her not to take you home. If it'll help, I'll make out with Collins a few more times in front of her." Mimi smiled tiredly.

"What a sacrifice." She rubbed her eyes. "Listen, where did Collins go?"

"He ran for dear life upstairs, what do you think? The poor guy was mortified."

"Ok…well, Roger went up the fire escape, so he's probably there too. Go up and make sure they aren't, like, sticking their heads in any ovens. I'm gonna go see if I can find my mom and maybe sort this out. But Angel?"

"Yeah?" she said, having already turned to go to the door.

"Whatever you do, don't come down here."

**yes, not a lot happens this chapter. i just had to include it** **because i'm special that way. Next chappie will be funful...woohoo!**


	14. Finally

**This is probably the second to last chapter in this fic...ill miss it! but anyway, i'm a sucker for endings like this, so please forgive if you dont like...love to you all!**

Mimi tiredly trudged up the stairs to her apartment, her limbs heavy with fatigue and apprehension. Her mother had disappeared…not a hard feat to accomplish in New York City, but a worrisome one all the same. Mimi had gone everywhere her mother might be: the park, the flea markets, the supermarkets, Times Square…but no Mrs. Marquez. Something in Mimi felt rather glad that there was no sign of her mother. Another part of her slapped the first part for being so mean, but secretly felt the same way.

Mimi got to her door and leaned against it for a moment, resting her legs. She had changed out of the Dress of Horror, but she felt as though she had been tripping around in it all day. With a sigh, Mimi straightened and moved back from the door slightly to pull it open.

It was a very good thing that Mimi pulled away from the door. A very good thing. Because, had she not, when her mother flung the door open, Mimi might have sustained quite painful and serious brain damage. As it was, the door only hit her in the stomach and knocked her backwards.

"Ma…Mama?" gasped Mimi from her new spot on the floor. Mrs. Marquez towered over her, angry, cold eyes glaring down. She was wearing her long traveling coat, and in one hand was the mammoth black suitcase, which she hefted like a pro. On her head was the giant floppy hat that _always_ meant she was going somewhere.

"Mama, what are you doing? I've been looking all over for you!" Mimi scrambled to her feet, her eyes locked on her mother's. Mrs. Marquez sniffed and, without saying a word to Mimi, began to descend the stairs. Mimi stumbled after her.

"Mama, where are you—"

"I am going home, Mimi. I am going home to where there are people that I know and that I can trust to tell me the truth." Her mother went around the curve in the stairs, her coat billowing out behind her as she increased in speed. Mimi nearly tripped as she hastily braked to avoid stepping on the coat.

"But Mama, what you saw me doing, that wasn't—"

"It was not only you that I saw, Mimi. It may alarm you to know that as I walked out of your house, I saw Angelo…_entangled_ with someone else, worse than you with that boy. I do not wish to stay any longer in this place where people deceive others in such manners. I never even looked at another man after I married your father…bless his soul." Mimi's mother almost forgot the mandatory crossing and bless-his-soul in her haste to escape Mimi.

_If you never looked at another man, it must have been hard to raise my four brothers_, Mimi thought silently. Instead, she pretended to gasp and said, "Mama, what are you talking about? Who was Angelo kissing? Was it that girl from upstairs? I knew—"

"Do not complain or accuse, miss! You are not innocent by any means!" She stopped suddenly, so suddenly that Mimi was very briefly in danger of slamming into her mother from behind. She grabbed the stair rail though, and caught herself. Her mother whirled around to face her, anger and disappointment blazing out of every wrinkle and graying hair.

"I did not raise you to do such things, Mimi! Now, you have been trouble ever since you were born: willful, disobedient, wild, and incapable of following any rules I have ever set for you! Not mention the way that you seemed to use that _body_ of yours to attract the most awful boys!" Her mother said the word _body_ as though it was a swear word.

Mimi stood still and let her mother rail against her. It brought back memories; Mimi, six years old, cowering with her older brother and two of her younger sisters on the ground as her mother screamed at them…her mother pinching the soft skin under Mimi's wrist when the thirteen-year-old arrived home ten minutes late…her mother, with tears coursing down her face and a bottle in one hand, screeching at Mimi that she was worthless, she was stupid, she would never amount to anything…all these memories, mixed with the good ones, of warm houses and good food and loud laughter. All these memories and here she was now, letting her mother scream at her as though it was five or six years ago.

"I have forgiven many things in the past, Mimi. I have forgiven stealing, lateness, laziness, disobedience, and even you running away to this…place! But I cannot forgive lying, and especially not to someone who you were supposed to trust! And him! I do not know much about this boy, but I do know that he was betraying you, and…" Mimi's mother seemed to inflate with her anger, until finally she burst out, "with a man!"

It took Mimi a second to remember to be shocked by this. And by the time she had managed to get a properly stunned look on her face, her mother was off and going again.

"So that is it! I am not staying here with a daughter who betrays and lies and scorns everything I have ever taught! I am going home, where there are people who have listened to those that were wiser than them, and know the teachings they must follow! And do not bother me with your protests, Mimi; I am going, and I do not wish to hear from you again!" And with that, Mimi's mother turned and stormed down the stairs and out of the building.

Mimi stood frozen on the stairs. She heard her mother walk out onto the street and stop, but Mimi did not move up or down the stairs. Several minutes later, she heard the squeal of tires and the murmur of voices, then a thunk as something was thrown into a car trunk, and the slam of car doors. And finally, the roar of an engine as the taxi carrying her mother went down the street and out of Mimi's life. Mimi waited until the final echo of the taxi had dissipated into the air. Then she sank onto the steps…

And wept.

She cried harder than she could ever remember crying; it was like her eyes were throwing up. The tears came and came and came, and the sobs continued to scrape her throat raw, and the wet gasps seemed in endless supply. Worst of all, she did not know why she was crying, only that for some reason, Mimi suddenly felt sadder than ever before. It was a deep, clawing sadness that welled up from somewhere inside and poured out like acid into her body; it was the sadness of someone who has lost something that they did not know they had, and who remembers that whatever they lost has hurt them badly. Mimi did not understand it; but she felt it. She felt it everywhere.

She did not know how long she cried, but she did know that when she looked up, her hands and lap were soaked with tears, and her face might as well have been dunked underwater. She felt sweaty and hot and uncomfortable…and then, a strange and purifying calm.

"My mother is gone." Mimi said the sentence slowly, trying the words out in her mouth. They felt good. She said them again. "My mother is gone." Turning, she ascended the stairs, feeling slowly creeping back into her body. The sadness from before had disappeared, burrowing back inside her. Now, her mind felt peaceful and pleasantly airy.

She passed her own door, and reached the loft's. Taking a deep breath, Mimi pushed it open. Mark was sitting on the edge of the table, legs swinging back and forth, shaking his head. Joanne was looking worriedly out the window, and Maureen lay on her back, feet sticking into the air as she obviously tried (keyword _tried_) to console Collins and Roger. Both men were sitting on the couch with their heads in their hands (Roger's hands were actually clutching his hair). Angel was sitting on the armrest beside Collins, looking like she was doing a somewhat better job than Maureen.

All faces turned to stare at Mimi as she entered. Standing there, feeling that same pleasant, airy feeling, Mimi took a breath and said those, nice comfortable words again.

"My mother is gone."


	15. ANOTHER Fire Escape Scene

**this is very short and not that great. i have a ton of homework and this was about all i could get out. i'm pretty sure there is at least one more chapter to this, but it might be a while. i'll try!**

"You doing okay, hon?" Mimi jumped slightly and turned to see Angel, her face finally free of dye and nicely shaved with a razor borrowed from Roger, climbing out onto the fire escape. She sighed and turned around again, staring out across the uneven rooftops that were speckled with trash-can fires. She felt Angel come to lean against the railing beside her.

"Well, are you?"

"What?"

"Doing okay. I got the feeling you weren't quite as happy as you wanted us to think." Mimi sighed with exasperation that lacked conviction.

"Sometimes, Angel, I'd like it if you were a little less perceptive. And a little less ready to find out my personal business." Mimi meant it to sound that sharp. She wanted Angel to leave her alone. But Angel was not to be deterred so easily.

"Yes, well, we all have dreams, don't we? Now what's up? Your mama left, we're in the clear! No more being…a _couple_." Angel spat the word out like it tasted bad. Mimi shrugged.

"It's great, really. Our problems are solved." Angel slid a little closer and touched Mimi's arm.

"Please tell me." Mimi sighed and bit her lip. As she gazed out over the rooftops, her eyes were usually bright.

"I dunno. It's just…no; you'll think I'm crazy." Angel snorted.

"I already think that, hon. Go on."

"Well…it's stupid, but here it is: I'm feeling bad because my mother now hates me so much that she didn't even bother to try to get me to come home. I mean, I didn't think that I could ever do anything that would make her want to be rid of me _that_ badly." Mimi's voice quavered, but she kept on speaking. "It's like I wanted her to screw everything up by taking me away. It would have shown that she…that she still cared at least a little. But I went overboard. And now she's just…gone." Angel watched her quietly, let Mimi have a moment of peace. Then she reached out and patted her shoulder softly.

"Mimi, I know what you feel like. My mother hasn't spoken to me since she screamed that she didn't want a fag for a son and I should clear out before she called the cops. It hurts, I know that." Mimi turned her head to look at Angel with wide eyes. Angel smiled slightly and squeezed her shoulder. "But you can't let that get you down. You can't let her anger keep you from living. This all got messed up, and some things might be lost. But that doesn't mean that won't come back. I saw how happy your mom was for you. She can't leave her Mimi alone forever." Mimi smiled back weakly and stood up straight.

"You think?"

"I know. Trust me, hon, it's gonna work out." Mimi nodded and wrapped her arms around Angel, hugging her close. She knew that Angel was probably wrong, but she didn't care. Someone loved her; that was enough.

"That's a good girl, it's okay," Angel soothed, stroking Mimi's long brown hair. Mimi clung to her for another moment, then pulled back, smiling a little wider now.

"C'mon, let's go back in. Roger and Collins might be good for another laugh still." Angel grinned.

"It's nice to have something you can hold over your boyfriend for eternity. I bet they'll be scarred for live." Mimi snorted and went to open the window.

"I know they will."

**stupid, but i had to do somehting. this isnt the end, i promise.**


	16. The Final Thoughts

**This is the last chapter! I can't believe it...I'm going to miss writing this fic! I hope you all like the ending. it was a little hard to figure otu, but i think it might be all right. I tried my best! This chapter is for all those people who stayed with me through this whole thing; who coached me and gave me ideas and kept all those compliments we writers love a-comin! I love you all to bits! Thanks for everything!**

**Today 4 U, chickies!**

**-Panda**

"So…how does it feel to be back with a straight guy again?" Mimi giggled and poked Maureen's stomach. Maureen jumped and leaned back in her chair, propping up her feet on the table top. Angel, who was sitting opposite her, groaned.

"Maureen, the bottoms of your shoes are nasty, girl, put your feet down!" Maureen rolled her eyes and braced her feet against the edge of the table. She leaned back until the chair was balanced precariously on two legs. Joanne eyed the legs warily.

"Honey bear, that doesn't look too stable…"

"Fuck stable, I want Mimi to answer my question," Maureen demanded, crossing her arms. Mimi sighed.

"It sucks; in fact, I'm planning to crawl up to Angel tonight and beg for her to take me back. How do you think it feels, Maureen?" Angel gave her a look.

"Tell Maureen how it _does_ feel, Mimi, because I'm scared and I want to make sure you were joking." Mimi snorted and held out her hands, palms up.

"It feels great. I can finally make out with my boyfriend where I want and when I want and no one fucking cares!" Mimi said this a bit loudly, and the three guys were who arguing at the other end of the table looked over at her. Some of the more sober people at the bar turned around too.

"Excuse me?" Roger said, raising his eyebrows. "What was that last thing you said?" Mimi grinned and got up, sliding into his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You heard me." She moved in with the speed of lightning, kissing him so hard their teeth clicked together. The others laughed and whooped (Maureen), while Roger seemed quite willing to let the kiss continue. However, they unfortunately needed to breathe, and Mimi had to break away. Besides, her mouth was numb.

"I think that might explain what she just said, Rog," Collins said. Roger gave him a look.

"I knew what she said, you—"

"No talk." Mimi grabbed his face and kissed him again. Collins chuckled and sat back, scooting his chair over so he could put an arm around Angel. She leaned against him and smiled. Mimi wasn't the only person who was glad that she was back with her lover of choice.

"So…it's the first Mama Marquez-Free night since that woman got here. What's the plan?" Maureen asked, tilting even farther back in her chair. No one (at least no one whose mouth wasn't entangled in someone else's) had any real thoughts on the subject.

"Why don't we just go back to the loft and see what strikes us?" Joanne finally suggested. Angel nodded amiably, and Collins shrugged by way of agreement. Maureen grinned and looked at the ceiling. Mark laughed suddenly, and the others turned to look at him.

"What's up, Marky?" Angel asked, sounding sort of sleepy. Mark snickered again.

"You know, I do still have that footage from when I snuck down and taped that conversation with Mimi's mom. And I'm suddenly feeling a craving for a movie tonight." Angel looked up, at once alert.

"Mark, I want that film destroyed." Mark smirked and shook his head. Collins gave him a warning look, but he ignored it.

"It's mine, and I can do what I want with it. Hw does back-to-back screenings sound for this evening?" Maureen giggled and Joanne shushed her. Angel was looking at Mark with a rather dangerous fire in her eyes.

"Mark, I will find that film, and when I do, it will never see the light of day again. Don't doubt me, Mark." She was partially standing now. Collins touched her arm, but she ignored him. Mark, who was still not understanding the danger he was in, shrugged casually.

"You don't know where it is, and I do. That's a fact, Angel, and you can't change it. Why, I bet you don't even—" Mark was cut off abruptly, most likely because Angel had reached out and grabbed the end of his scarf, pulling it tight. He grew very still, and stared at her through his glasses. Collins, Maureen, and Joanne could do nothing. He had brought it upon himself.

"Listen, Mark. When we get to the loft, you will bring me that film, and I will throw it out the window, and that will be the end of it. You show it to anyone, ever, and I will deal with you as I see fit. Got it?" Mark made a strangled noise in the back of his throat. Angel eased up on her grip a little.

"Yes, Angel," he croaked. Satisfied, she released his scarf and sat back down, leaning against Collins and closing her eyes with a tiny smile. Mark gasped and massaged his throat. Collins, Maureen, and Joanne all stifled laughter. Mimi and Roger were pretty much out of it.

"Well then…I guess it's not a movie night after all, huh?" ventured Collins. Mark shrugged ruefully and glared at Angel. Joanne rolled her eyes, and Maureen clapped her hands.

"Why not?" she said. "I love Mark's movies! They're all full of you guys doing stupid things. Well, not stupid so much as funny." The others looked at her with something with something like shock. They all mouthed silently for a moment, unable to truly process what Maureen had said.

"_Us_ doing stupid things? What about you?" spluttered Collins. Maureen snorted.

"I never do stupid things," she scoffed. And that was precisely when her chair finally gave up and collapsed, bringing Maureen crashing to the ground.

* * *

Hours later, Mimi was curled up in a big warm pile of bodies. Her head was on Roger's lap, and Maureen, who had been sitting beside her on the couch, had sort of draped herself over Mimi's body in her sleep. Collins's head pressed against her knees from where he was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. Angel, who was sitting beside him with her head on his chest, had reached her hand up and entangled it with Mimi's fingers. Mark was sprawled in the big chair, his sock-clad feet lying in Joanne's lap where she was squashed against the near armrest of the couch. They were all snuggled together, warmth and comfort settled comfortably over them like a giant blanket. Mimi felt full and safe and sleepy, like a puppy huddled with its brothers and sisters.

For a moment, she just savored the feeling of togetherness and love between her and her friends; they were a family, pure and simple. And for another moment, Mimi wondered how she had ever wanted to hide them, how she had ever wanted to keep them from being known about. It seemed incomprehensible.

Mimi yawned and drifted off to sleep; surrounded by the only people she had left in the world. Little did she know that a week and a half later there would come a long, _long_ letter with a return address in her hometown.

Little did she know that when she got that letter, there would be only a moment of hesitation before she threw it in the trash without opening it.

She would not be ashamed of them. She wouldn't try to say one person was her boyfriend when in truth he wasn't. She wouldn't pretend that she had another job and another personality and another life. She wouldn't do that again.

Mimi was finally being honest.

Well, almost honest.

* * *

"Mark, I swear I don't know what Angel did with that film, I really don't! And of course I didn't tell her that you put it under the sink because you knew there were spider webs there and she hates spiders! Would I really tell her that, Mark? Would I?...That's right, I wouldn't. Go ask Maureen, I think she might have told…"

Mimi. Take her for what she is or go crazy trying to change her. Take your pick.

**ta ta for now!**


End file.
